Rewrite The Stars: Vic & Ripley One-Shots
by chelseabsb93
Summary: This collection of one-shots are rewrites of different Vic & Ripley scenes throughout the series.
1. Chapter 1: Box of Beauty

**_Box of Beauty_**

It had only been a few days since that fateful moment. The moment Lucas Ripley said he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her, only to have his life cut short that afternoon, all too soon for the woman who loved him. It was also too soon to be in this room, making plans like this. She wished she had more time, but once again life had to get in the way.

Vic sat in Captain Sullivan's office in a daze, barely noticing the captain's discussion of funeral arrangements with her and Lucas's sister. Why was she even being allowed to make these decisions? She wasn't family. Jennifer's words played through her head again. Sure, Lucas declared his love for her and said yes to her proposal, but on paper they were nothing. Why didn't she just say yes immediately when Lucas asked at their place? If she had said yes, they could've gone to the courthouse that afternoon and they officially could've become husband and wife. That strong, smart, brave, amazingly beautiful man would have been her husband. He deserved better than a courthouse wedding. He deserved the world, and if she couldn't give it to him in the form of a perfect wedding, she would be damn sure to give it to him during his last moments on this earth.

"I want all of it." Vic says wholeheartedly, finally coming out of her daze enough to hear Sullivan trying to get her attention.

Just as she finished her statement, she got up to leave the room, not wanting to make any more decisions or deal with this situation.

"Hughes." Sullivan stopped her.

She wanted to keep walking out the door, but she was still a firefighter and she couldn't ignore orders. Lucas wouldn't want her going against her chain of command. She turned back around to face her captain.

"I know this is a lot, but before you leave, there is still one more thing for you." Sullivan turns around and pulls a white cardboard box off the shelf. He placed it on his desk in front of Vic and Jennifer.

Vic recognized the box immediately. It was the type of box headquarters used to store their extra paperwork. It was also the same type of box that people put their belongings in when it was time to clean out their office. It had only been a few days! Three days was all it took for headquarters to decide that their chief's memory was no longer worth preserving. And why wasn't anyone notified that they were doing that?! She and Jennifer (well just Jennifer; Vic wasn't ready to deal with her superiors now that her and Lucas's relationship was public), should have been the ones to bring his belongings home.

The girls looked on, cautiously curious, as Sullivan removed the top of the box. Inside was the life of Lucas Ripley, at least from a professional standpoint. There was the usual: pens, pencils, his desk nameplate that stated 'Chief Lucas Ripley,' and a pack of _5 Gum: Elixir_ (no wonder Lucas's mouth always tasted fruity when Vic kissed him). There was miscellaneous paperwork, mostly extra copies of his yearly physical exam records or performance reviews.

There was also a trophy from almost a decade ago, when Chief Ripley coached the Seattle Fire Department to victory in a charity baseball tournament against all the other fire departments in Washington. A note came with the trophy. It was a kid's drawing of a firetruck with the words THANK YOU surrounding it in big block letters. On the back were the names of about a dozen kids and a few doctors and nurses from the Seattle branch of Shriner's Children's Hospital Burn Unit. Lucas Ripley loved being a fireman, but he loved helping his community more.

On the very bottom of the box were his most prized possessions. Jennifer reached in and pulled out his badge. She teared up when she saw how perfect it looked. The gold 'SFD' emblem shined brightly, as if to give Jennifer a sign that everything was going to be ok. That badge became a light in all the darkness.

With a solemn face, she handed the badge back to Sullivan. "He would want to be wearing this."

Sullivan nodded, graciously accepting the badge. He placed it in his desk drawer for safe keeping until he needed to bring it to the funeral home.

Vic saw the next two things in the box and couldn't believe her eyes. The first was a nicely framed photograph. She had the same photo sitting on her nightstand; it was the only photo the couple had taken together. In the photo, they were completely geared up for their day of smoke-jumping, both smiling from ear to ear. She missed his smile. She couldn't believe he kept that in his office. Sure, nobody came into his office without notice that often, but even she knew that Ripley's coworkers would not react lightly to seeing it.

The next item she picked up caused a hitch in her throat. It was a red velvet box. At first, she didn't want to open it, trying to deny what was held inside. Maybe it was just his Fire Academy class ring. Maybe it was his SFD Chief lapel pin. Too bad she knew it was neither of those things, as she had seen both sitting on Lucas's dresser in his apartment.

She finally opened the box, and what she saw took her breath away. It was the most beautiful ring she had ever seen. Vic could almost see her reflection in the polished, delicate, silver band. Just as the badge had done for Jennifer, the perfectly sized oval shaped diamond sparkled brightly in the small ray of sunlight coming through the window. In that moment, she felt his presence. For a small moment, she felt as though everything would be ok. But just like the photo, if they were supposed to be keeping their relationship a secret, why keep the ring in his office?

"He was waiting for the right moment to give that to you." Sullivan explained, shaking Vic from her thoughts. "He kept it at work because he didn't want you finding it."

Vic smiled a little, tears starting to drip down her face. Apparently for Lucas, keeping this secret from her was way more important than them being a secret to the whole department.

"Did you know?" Vic asked Sullivan.

Sullivan gave a small smile. "Who do you think helped him pick it out? He had me come with him the day after that car accident fire; the night I sent you home sick."

She remembered that night well. It was her and Lucas's first real fight, and it was the same night that they first said 'I love you.' That was weeks before his diner proposal. Was he really thinking about marriage that early into their relationship?

Jennifer also smiled a little, placing a hand on Vic's shoulder as they both stared at the ring. "My brother told me even sooner than that. He had talked to me about buying a ring even before I met you. He called me not too long after the skyscraper fire to tell me all about this young firefighter who had yelled at him, not once, but twice. Rather than complaining to me like usual about how some firefighters just don't respect him, his exact words were 'I am going to marry this girl.' I called him crazy and told him not to jump into things like he had done with his past two marriages. I am so glad that he didn't listen…and I was thrilled to be proven wrong."

Jennifer moved closer to Vic, wrapping her arms around her from the side, pulling Vic's head to lay against her shoulder. The two women sat like this for a moment as Vic absorbed her words. Not only was Jennifer apologizing for everything that happened between them, but Vic also learned that to Ripley, paper didn't matter. For Lucas, Vic was his from the day they engaged each other in that skyscraper fire. From that point on, Vic was officially family.

Vic removed the ring from the box and placed it on her finger. It fit like a glove. That small ray of sunlight continued to beam onto it as she let a few tears fall from her face. Now she understood why Travis never removed his ring, even years later. She quietly prayed to herself, looking at her glistening ring, and gave a promise to the man that she loved that she would never take off the ring, and that she would never stop loving him.


	2. Chapter 2: Coffee Warehouse Confessions

_**Coffee Warehouse Confessions**_

"Don't worry. I'm coming back."

Don't worry? Vic had every reason to worry. The man she loved just ran into a burning building that was structurally unstable. Sure, that was his job, but Vic would have taken his place in a minute had he let her. She would rather risk her own life rather than risk the life of someone she loved.

She heard Ripley's voice over Sullivan's walkie saying he found Captain Collin's drop line. He was still talking, meaning he was still alive. That was a good thing, right?

As Sullivan instructed Ripley on the right direction to move, Vic continued to stare at the burned up entry to the building. How could anyone survive in there for any more than a few minutes? Sure, she had been in there for a while rescuing civilians and other fireman, but this was different. When it was her, Vic didn't care how long it took. She would stay in a burning building all day if it meant every other person inside got out alive. Plus, hosing down a giant blaze made her feel like a badass. However, watching it happen from the sidelines was something she hoped she would never have to do.

How long had it been? It felt like hours. The radio she was relying on for reassurance had gone silent. Unfortunately, Vic's personality caused her to think of the absolute worst-case scenario. As every moment passed, a million different scenarios went through her head; none of them ending well, all of them involving burying the man she loved…if there was even a body to bury.

"Hey, he'll make it out." Vic was shaken from her thoughts when she heard a familiar voice. She looked over to see Jack smile and nod at her reassuringly. She then felt a loving hand on her shoulder, her best friend's hand. The two people who knew how much Ripley meant to her were there to make sure she was alright.

Finally, after what felt like hours to Vic, she heard the voice of the man she loves over Sullivan's walkie. He had the captain and they were coming out of the building. Vic was in such an emotional daze that she hadn't noticed her knees hitting the pavement and the tears flooding down her face. Some of her friends, however, had noticed.

Andy and Maya gave each other quizzical looks as they grabbed the hoses to get the blaze under control.

"What was that about?" Maya asked, staring back over at Vic.

"I have no idea." Andy answered. This wasn't the time to figure it out. They had a fire to put out, and if Vic wanted them to know she would tell them.

Through her blurred eyes, she could see Ripley begin to take his gear off. She knew there were a thousand reasons why she should not have, but her heart told her to run to him as fast as she could. Her emotions were in overdrive and her body was on autopilot. The next thing she knew her arms were wrapped tightly around Ripley's neck, pulling him as close to her as humanly possible.

"Vic…protocol…what are…" Ripley tried to talk through a coughing fit.

"Screw protocol!" Vic interrupted, letting her emotions take over. "You almost died! I almost lost you! What was I supposed to do, sit here and pretend that we're not together and that I didn't care that you were stuck in a burning building?! I can't do that! I love you too much!"

Ripley's ice blue eyes stared right through Vic, right into her soul. Everyone around them seemed to disappear and it was just the two of them. Too bad they hadn't really disappeared, as most of them had just heard her declare her love for her boss.

Andy looked shocked. "What the hell?!"

"Ok then." Ben and Dean just looked at each other oddly and shrugged, going back to getting Captain Collins into the Aid Car.

Since Gibson and Montgomery already knew, they weren't too phased by what just happened. Their main focus was making sure that Chief Ripley and Vic were both ok.

"Ok you two. Break it up. We need to get both of you checked out at the aid car." Travis said.

Jack added, quiet enough so only the four of them heard it. "Yeah, it's bad enough all of 19 just saw your declaration. We don't need the entire department finding out about the two of you."

"Why not?" This time it was Ripley to speak up, and it was the small group around him who was shocked. Ripley was the one who was always worried about their relationship going public and the repercussions of breaking protocol. In that moment, however, he didn't care. Just like Vic, his heart had taken control of his actions.

He continued, still staring into Vic's eyes, another coughing fit ensuing. "I love you…Victoria Hughes. If I died…I wouldn't want you…way over there. I want you…right by my side."

Without a second thought, he wrapped his arms around her even tighter and pressed his lips to hers with everything he had. In that moment, he didn't care who saw. He wanted to be with Vic for the rest of their lives and didn't care what his bosses, or anyone, had to say about it.

By now, everyone on the scene was staring at the couple. Many of them were a combination of shocked, surprised, and appalled. However, the two standing closest to them were thrilled, mainly because they didn't have to keep the secret anymore. They each grabbed a person and began pushing the couple towards the Aid Car.

"Ok, ok, break it up! Let's get you guys checked out!" Travis began helping Vic out of her gear.

Jack did the same with Ripley. The couple sat on the edge of the Aid Car as the crew at 19 began to check their vitals and clear them of any health problems.

Eventually, everyone on scene went back to doing their work, almost completely ignoring the newly exposed couple. Vic and Ripley knew their fellow firefighters all too well though. Their eyes might not be on the new couple, but their minds definitely were. Vic and Ripley knew they would have to answer the million questions that were headed their way, but that could wait until later. For now, the two were simply enjoying the moment, happy that they no longer had to hide how they felt. They were in love and that was all that mattered.


	3. Chapter 3: Lucas Ripley's Last Wish

_**Lucas Ripley's Last Wish**_

"Can we get a chaplain or someone in here?"

Vic looked over at Lucas's monitors. It was clear he was not going to make it another few hours. She knew it wasn't necessary, but she didn't want to deny her love's dying wish, and this should only take a few minutes.

Vic got up from her position on Lucas's bed and walked over to the door. She quietly opened it, not wanting to attract attention to the masses of firefighters she knew were on the other side. Standing just outside the door, as if to keep guard, was Dr. Maggie Pierce. Hearing the door crack open, Dr. Pierce turned around and saw Vic poke her head out.

"Dr. Pierce, can you go get a chaplain please?"

Dr. Pierce could see the pain on Vic's face. In her world, if someone was looking for a priest or other religious figure, it usually was near the end. She nodded her head, also trying to draw as little attention to them as possible. "I'll be right back."

Dr. Pierce went back down the hallway looking for the chaplain as Vic returned to her spot next to Lucas.

"Thank you." Lucas said in a soft, raspy tone.

Vic let out a small laugh through her tears. "Don't thank me yet; just wait until you see our honeymoon."

"Does this honeymoon involve you in a snow suit?" Lucas asked, smiling.

Vic rolled her eyes. "Hell no. I'm in a bikini and you're topless. Our toes are in the sand, the warm sun is soaking into our skin, and our waiter just refilled our pina coladas."

"It sounds perfect." Lucas smiled.

Before Vic could reply, the couple heard the door crack open behind them. Dr. Pierce walked in with a man clad in all black with a white collar. Just above his chest pocket were two pins; one was a gold cross and the other read 'SFD Chaplain.' Both people had sorrowful looks on their faces.

"Thank you for coming chaplain." Vic said, turning to face the two others in the room.

"Of course, I would do anything for this man." The chaplain began walking towards Lucas. "I just didn't know that you were that religious. But, it would be my honor to perform the Holy Sacrament of Last Rites."

Lucas looked up at the chaplain and shook his head. "That will not be necessary. I asked for you because I would like to marry this girl."

Lucas took Vic's hands and gazed into her eyes, staring right into her soul.

Both the chaplain and Dr. Pierce looked shocked. This was not your typical request when someone was at the end of their life. Then again, Lucas and Victoria were not your typical couple.

"Are you both sure about this?" The chaplain asked.

Ripley and Vic both nodded their heads with smiles on their faces.

"Well then, ok." The chaplain returned their smile. He looked over at Dr. Pierce. "Dr. Pierce, would you act as their witness, and also could you grab my magic book."

Dr. Pierce smiled. "Of course."

She grabbed the bible off the table on the other side of the room and handed it to the chaplain.

"Thank you Dr. Pierce. Shall we begin?"

Vic, Ripley, and Dr. Pierce all nodded.

"Good." The chaplain opened his bible and began the small ceremony. "We are gathered here on this day to witness the joining together of Chief Lucas Ripley and Firefighter Victoria Hughes in holy matrimony. If there is anyone who can show just cause why this couple cannot be married, speak now or forever hold their peace."

The chaplain looked over at Dr. Pierce, who shook her head. "I'm not stopping them. What my patient wants, my patient gets."

Lucas looked into Vic's eyes. "Last chance to back out."

"Never!" Vic shook her head, a tear streaming down her face.

"No objections; then let's continue." The chaplain smiled. "Victoria, repeat after me: I, Victoria, take you, Lucas, to be my wedded husband."

Victoria nodded, tears now pouring down her cheeks. "I, Victoria, take you, Lucas, to be my wedded husband."

The chaplain continued. "To have and to hold, to love and to cherish, for richer or poorer, for better or worse, in sickness and in health, til death do us part."

Vic continued to repeat after the chaplain. When she got to 'in sickness and in health, til death do us part,' she couldn't bring herself to say it. All she could think of was why this wedding was even necessary. Her soon to be husband was very sick and was dying. This was not the way it was supposed to go. They were supposed to spend their whole lives together. Vic thought they would have years left together, not hours, or even less. She paused for a moment and collected herself. She had to do this…for Lucas.

"in sickness and in health, til death do us part." Vic said as she stared lovingly into Lucas's eyes. Lucas reached up, using his thumb to wipe away some of her tears.

The chaplain nodded. "Thank you Victoria. Lucas, same thing, repeat after me: I, Lucas, take you, Victoria, to be my wedded husband."

"I, Lucas, take you, Victoria, to be my wedded husband." Lucas repeated, a huge smile plastered across his face.

The chaplain continued. "To have and to hold, to love and to cherish, for richer or poorer, for better or worse, in sickness and in health, til death do us part."

"To have and to hold, to love and to cherish, for richer or poorer, for better or worse…" Lucas too stopped in his tracks at the next phrase.

A small tear dripped down his cheek. This was why he offered to let Vic back out. He would not blame her. Who would want to be married to a guy who was gravely ill and wasn't even going to make it through the night. Another tear fell as he came to that realization. It wasn't death itself he was afraid of; he had made peace with that fear the day he joined the SFD. It was the fear of leaving behind the woman he loved. He couldn't let her see his fear. He had to be strong, for her. He finished his vows as Vic wiped the few stray tears from his cheeks.

The chaplain smiled, trying to mask his own sorrow over the situation. "Is there anything the couple would like to add before we continue?"

Vic nodded. She stared into Lucas's eyes, right into his soul. "I was really ready to spend the rest of my life with you…Lucas Ripley."

"At least I get to spend the rest of mine with you." Lucas spoke softly.

By now, everyone in the room had tears in their eyes. The chaplain tried to keep his composure as he continued the ceremony.

"Do you, Lucas, take Victoria to be your lawfully wedded wife from this day forward?"

"I do." Lucas said, smiling from ear to ear.

"And do you, Victoria, take Lucas to be your lawfully wedded husband from this day forward?"

"I do." Vic replied, tears still pouring down her face as she smiled at the man she loved.

The chaplain smiled and nodded. "Well then, by the powers vested in me by the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit…and the Seattle Fire Department, I now pronounce you husband and wife. Lucas you may kiss your bride."

The chaplain could barely finish his sentence before Vic crashed her lips into Lucas's. Lucas wrapped his arms around his new wife, deepening the kiss, knowing very well that every kiss could be their last.

Dr. Pierce and the chaplain both turned to each other.

"We should give them some time." Dr. Pierce spoke softly as the two turned to leave the room.

* * *

"What is going on in there?" One firefighter from Station 23 asked.

Another from Station 42 added, "Yeah, the chaplain has been in there way too long."

"So has Dr. Pierce!" The captain of Station 7 added.

Everyone around looked shocked and worried, that is, except for the crew from Station 19.

"You don't think…?" Gibson asked, still kind of shocked that they would even think of it.

Travis shrugged his shoulders and smiled slightly. "I wouldn't be surprised. With Ripley's practical proposal a few days ago, and then Vic's for real proposal yesterday…it was probably the Chief's dying wish."

Just as they spoke, the chaplain and Dr. Pierce emerged from the room. They nodded towards the firefighters of 19 with small smiles on their faces, as if to acknowledge the truth behind what Travis and Gibson were thinking. Dr. Pierce stayed just outside the door, knowing all too well her services would be needed again soon.

Before long, the door to Lucas Ripley's hospital room opened again. Vic was standing there with tears pouring down her face, but she also carried a small smile. She hugged Dr. Pierce and whispered 'thank you.'

With her head held high, Victoria Hu…Ripley walked down the hallway, past the sea of Seattle's finest and bravest. She knew she would have to acknowledge them eventually, but right now she didn't want to. She wanted this day to be about her and her husband, about their love for each other, and about how Victoria was able to grant Lucas Ripley's last wish."


	4. Chapter 4: Safe Haven Surrender

**_Safe Haven Surrender_**

"We really had to get one of these today of all days?" Vic thought as she ditched the note and picked up the baby out of the duffle bag.

She had never dealt with a Safe-Haven surrender before. So now on top of figuring out the protocol for that, she also had to deal with her naked man friend (as Travis calls him) being in the house and having to make sure that Travis doesn't spill to said naked man friend that he knows about him and Vic. It was going to be a very long night.

She held the baby in her arms as Travis examined him. He seemed way better with kids than she did. Everyone at the SFD called Travis the baby whisperer. Though he and Michael never got the chance, everyone knew that they would be the most amazing parents to any kid that came their way. Vic, on the other hand, never had much experience with babies. This little guy was honestly the first baby she had even held in close to a decade. She hoped she would be able to pass him off to someone, like Travis, until DCFS got there to come and get him. Hopefully that would be before Ripley noticed.

That hope quickly faded as Ripley wandered into walk-in office where Travis and Vic were.

"Whoa, is that a…" Ripley trailed off, slightly in shock. Mostly he was in shock because they don't get Safe-Haven surrenders all that often. However, he was also in shock over who was holding the baby. Ripley never pictured Vic as ever having or wanting kids, and since they never discussed it he never knew how she felt about them. But she looked so beautiful cradling that little boy in her arms, even if she did look scared out of her mind. He was shaken from his thoughts when Travis explained the situation.

"Baby, yeah, somebody left him for us. I'm just going to confirm that he's healthy and then call DCFS to come take custody."

"Good." Ripley smiled at Travis before turning his attention to Vic and the baby. "We don't get many of these. Aren't you a cute little guy! Hi!"

Vic smiled and bounced the baby a little bit. Ripley seemed to like kids. Did that mean he wanted kids with her? She wasn't the greatest with babies, but if it meant having cute moments like this more often, she could get used to the idea.

Just as Travis had done with Ripley, he did the same with Vic. She was enjoying her little fantasy before she was brought back to an awkward reality by her best friend.

"Do you have kids, Chief?" Travis asked. He could feel Vic's eyes glaring at him.

"Uh, no, Montgomery…no." Ripley didn't quite know how to answer. Technically, no, he didn't have any kids, but that didn't mean that he never wanted any. And why would Montgomery be the one to ask that question, and not Vic? Maybe it was just his way of making small talk. Before he could find out, Vic interrupted.

"Uh, I think we should let the chief go. Thank you Chief. Good to see ya."

Vic breathed a sigh of relief when Ripley walked away. She didn't want their cute bonding moment to end, but she also couldn't have Travis prying into their relationship and having Ripley find out that Travis knows.

"I gotta go get a thermometer out of the rig. I'll be right back." Travis said before walking away.

Vic had a look of shock on her face. Travis was the one who was supposed to be dealing with this kid, not her. And now both Travis and Ripley were gone. What if they were together and she wasn't there to stop Travis from revealing everything he knows about her and Ripley's relationship. Vic stared down at the baby, who was now fussing and squirming in her arms. Yeah, this was definitely going to be a long night.

Thank god for Vic that her old Captain, Pruitt Herrera, showed up when he did. He was a dad. He knew how to take care of kids; look at how Andy turned out! She passed the baby off to Captain Herrera who happily obliged, probably because it was the most interesting thing going on in his life at the moment. Unfortunately for Vic, she wished it was hers. Vic thanked her former captain and ran out of the room, one to see if she could get in on the action from the RV that just crashed through the building, but also to find Travis or Ripley and keep one away from the other.

Vic couldn't find her two favorite guys anywhere and it was starting to stress her out. She decided to keep herself distracted by helping the medics take care of the mother from the crash. It must have been her night, as that didn't pan out either. The mother involuntarily hit her (or voluntarily, Vic couldn't decide which), so Vic thought it would be better if she went to work on something else.

Once again, that something else turned into her taking care of the baby. Pruitt had passed him back off to her to join the action down at the accident scene. According to him, DCFS had a few more calls before theirs, so it could be a while.

"Guess it's just you and me kid." Vic bounced the fussing baby in her arms. Pruitt said the baby should probably get some sleep. He certainly wasn't going to get any in the walk-in center, or anywhere in the main firehouse for that matter. Vic decided the best place to take him would be the bunk rooms.

Vic slouched onto her usual bed, careful not to jostle the baby too much. She tried cradling him in her arms, but he kept squirming and fussing.

"Come on buddy. We've gotta get you to sleep." Vic spoke softly to him as she bounced him a little. When that didn't work, she felt as if she was at her wits end. "Seriously little guy? Sounds like you are having just as bad of a night as Auntie Vic. You didn't plan on getting put in a duffel bag and dropped off at a big fire house with all these scary people. Just like Auntie Vic didn't plan on being here with you when there's a big car crash downstairs and I have to worry about keeping two of those big scary people away from each other."

The baby finally started calming down. Vic moved him so that he was laying on his stomach against her chest.

"There you go. Is that better?" She started rubbing the infant's back. "And I'll let you in on a little secret. Those big people out there aren't so scary, at least not usually. I'm just a little scared of them right now. You know that cute blonde guy who us big people called Chief, well we're kind of together and I'm afraid of him getting mad at me for telling my best friend about us since we weren't supposed to be telling anyone."

The baby stared up at her, his eyes started to look sleepy. Vic rolled her eyes and smiled down at him.

"And you have no idea what I'm saying. I'm talking to a baby about my love life because I literally can't tell anyone else because the only people I would want to tell are other firefighters and that's how I got into this mess to begin with. Ugh! I just wish it was easier because I really like this one…almost as much as I like you!"

Vic tapped the infant on the nose softly, causing him to smile slightly. Soon after, the baby closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep. Vic yawned. It had been a long day. Since the baby was sleeping she didn't see the harm in getting a few moments of sleep herself. She closed her eyes and tried to sleep. But, rather than sleeping, her brain went to daydreaming about her and Ripley. In the daydream, they were on their usual beach from their fake vacation, only this time there were beach toys and baby sized beach towels in between her and Ripley. Looking back up at her was a beautiful caramel skinned little boy with the brightest blue eyes. Ripley had the biggest smile on his face as he carried the little boy into the water. Vic's smile was equally as big as she watched the two splashing and playing. The moment was perfect. But, just like before, her perfect fantasy was cut short when she heard the bunk room door crack open.

She opened her eyes to see the person she was desperately looking for, but also desperately avoiding. The look on his face was anything but welcoming. This was the moment she was afraid of, but she thought if the little baby on her chest could survive the crazy scary night he was having then she could survive this next conversation.

"I just had an interesting conversation with Montgomery." Ripley said sternly.

Vic took a deep breath. "Look, if we're going to have this conversation, can you keep your voice down. I just got this little guy to sleep and I don't want anything waking him up until DCFS gets here."

Ripley was about to start his steamed up spiel, but the cuteness of seeing Vic comforting the little one calmed him down. He sat on the bed next to the one Vic was lounging on.

Vic spoke softly, but strongly enough to get her point across. "Yes, Travis knows about us. And so does Gibson. Gibson found out accidently, but I told Travis after I found out that you told your sister. He is my best friend and basically like a brother to me. I'm sorry if it's an issue, but the people in this house are family to me, and I'm sick of hiding things from my family."

"I understand that Station 19 is your family, but they are still firefighters. If any of them accidently said anything to anyone in another house or to the Battalion Chief or anyone in HR…" Ripley breathed out, very annoyed.

Vic cut him off. "They aren't that stupid! They know how big of a problem it would be if anyone outside of this house found out about us!"

Vic hadn't realized how loud she had gotten until the infant on her chest started waking up. "Crap! No, go back to sleep little guy. Auntie Vic is so sorry she woke you up."

Ripley watched in awe as the woman he loved began rubbing the baby's back and speaking softly to him, trying to get him back to sleep. The more he stared, the more Ripley's anger subsided. All Ripley could think about now was how amazing of a mother Vic was going to be to their children. Without a second thought, Ripley got up from the bed he was sitting on and sat on the edge of Vic's bed.

"Wait, what are you doing? We are supposed to be fighting?" Vic was so confused by what was happening. She shifted over slightly, allowing the man she loved to join her laying on the tiny twin bed.

Ripley put one arm around Vic and kept the other on the infant, switching between rubbing his back and gently rubbing his cheeks. Ripley's eyes stared down at Vic lovingly. This was a much different look than he had come in with.

"I know your comrades in Station 19 aren't that stupid. I just wish this was easier. I would love to be able to tell the whole freakin world about us, but all I can think about is how many problems that will cause, not only for me, but for you as well. I know how much your career means to you and I don't want anything to get in the way of it."

"I wish it was easier too." Vic said as she laid her head against Ripley's shoulder.

Ripley kissed her forehead. He kept his head pressed to hers and spoke softly. "Look, if it means that much to you, I guess we can tell everyone at 19…but that's it."

Vic looked at Ripley and smiled. "Really?"

"Really. If I get to tell my family then it's only fair that you can tell yours."

Vic kissed the man she loved. "Thank you. Not only for helping me with this kid, but for understanding how important the people in this house are to me. You're amazing. Now if you don't mind I think I'm going to follow this little guy's lead and take a nap. It has been one hell of a night."

Vic settled against Ripley's chest and closed her eyes. It wasn't long before she surrendered to the exhaustion. Ripley watched the woman he loved and this newborn sleeping peacefully against him. This wasn't a fantasy. At least for a few minutes, this was reality, and it couldn't be more perfect. He once again kissed Vic's forehead, and spoke softly before drifting off to sleep himself. "Victoria Hughes, I love you."

As the chaos in the rest of the firehouse subsided, DCFS finally arrived. Everyone looked around at each other. Within all the chaos, the other firefighters forgot the infant was even there. They also noticed Vic was nowhere to be found.

"Vic must've taken the little guy somewhere quiet to get him to sleep." Travis said, headed in the direction of the bunk room. "I'll go get him."

Travis quietly crept into the bunk room. When he opened the door he smiled at the sight. Ripley and Vic were peacefully sleeping in each other's arms with the baby sprawled out on Vic's chest. Before going over to retrieve the baby, Travis decided to snap a quick picture on his phone. Whether they wanted to now or not, Travis knew the couple would want a memory of this night later.

He snuck over to Vic's bed and ever so softly peeled the baby off. "Come here little one. We don't want to wake up Auntie Vic and Uncle Ripley. Let's go say goodbye to everybody."

Travis cradled the baby against him as he crept back out of the room, going to rejoin his fellow firefighters in the main lobby. He smiled at the thought of the couple still sleeping in the bunk room. They somehow managed to find the calm in all the craziness. As everyone else had been saying, it really was one hell of a night.


End file.
